A Late Texas Saturday Morning Thinking About A Murder, A Full Pool, Caribbean Cruises & Hotpepper Sisters

It is the morning of Saturday, November 20. In two days it will be 47 years, if my math is correct, since someone gunned down John F. Kennedy in Dallas.

On November 22, 2003 I went to the 40th Anniversary of the Assassination at Dealey Plaza. This was one of the more macabre events I have ever witnessed.

Changing the subject from murdering presidents.

As you can see, my pool is back full of water. While the pool was out of business I seem to have lost my ability to motivate myself to get in cold water. I suppose the temperature being under 50 helps temper the temptation to get wet and cold.

Gar the Texan got 2 all expenses paid Caribbean cruise tickets. He wants me to go with him on this cruise. But I'd have to renew my passport and that seems like an awful lot of bother just to go float on a boat.

Speaking of headaches. Last night, after my salubrious Tandy Hills Sunset Hiking, I got talked into doing some Saloon Hopping with the Salsa Sisters, Elsie and Kelsie Hotpepper. As a consequence of my bad judgement I was out way past my regular bedtime. And up, this morning, way past my usual uptime.

And my head hurts, I suppose from way too much Hotpepper.

It is going to be a long day today.

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me On The Tandy Hills

Coming up on 5, this afternoon, I was being peppered with questions from Elsie Hotpepper about my lunch, today, with her sister Kelsie. I tell you, the sibling rivalry between those peppery Hotpepper sisters is borderline unseemly.

There are reasons some Hotpeppers don't get made into salsa.

Whatever that means.

So, to escape the Elsie Hotpepper inquisition I took off for the Tandy Hills, not quite remembering when the sun went down for the day.

I was well into the hills when I realized the sun was dancing dangerously close to the horizon. I have hiked in the dark before. One notorious time getting caught miles from the trail head, after hiking to Washington's hidden volcano, Glacier Peak. That went okay til the batteries went dead on my flashlight.

Tonight, I was coming down the hill that leads to Tandy Falls, when the sun really started turning down the illumination. I was grateful the Tandy River was currently not roaring over Tandy Falls, so an easy passage was made over the escarpment.

It was a bit difficult navigating the poorly illuminated, very rocky trail, that leads to the top of Mount Tandy from the north side. But I made it.

Obviously, or I would not now be telling the tale of my evening travail.

Now, what am I to do with those Hotpepper sisters?

Looking At Flying Saucer Water Tanks In Hurst While Waiting For A Little Hotpepper

Around noon I was sitting on a bench next to the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Hurst, waiting for Elsie Hotpepper's little sister to show up so we could go have lunch at the Panera Bread that is on the north end of the Wal-Mart parking lot.

I looked up and saw the blue flying saucer structure you see in the picture.

It is a Hurst, Texas water tower. There are dozens upon dozens of various forms of these structures in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

You reading this who live in the D/FW zone, or in Texas, are likely thinking, so what? You reading this in other locations, like the state of Washington, for instance, are likely thinking, how bizarre.

You see, Washingtonians, there are no mountains here, some slight hills, but no mountains. So, water has to be pumped up to a tank hovering above where it is to be delivered, so that gravity can do the delivering. I have no idea where the massive pumps are located that pump the water up in these tanks.

When I lived in Washington, in the town of Mount Vernon, water came from a protected reservoir/lake called Judy Reservoir. This reservoir is surrounded by chain link fence, with, if I remember right, concertina wire at the top.

My memory of things in Washington grows hazy, but I believe Judy Reservoir supplied the water needs of several Skagit Valley towns, besides Mount Vernon.

Except for Anacortes. Anacortes sucked its water out of the Skagit River, treated it, and then pumped it to Anacortes. There are hills around Anacortes, more hilly than hills here in Texas, but, I don't think the water is pumped up to a storage lake on a hill. I remember no big water tanks in Anacortes, like I see in Texas.

So, how did that water move to homes in Anacortes, without the Texas style giant flying saucer water tanks?

Very perplexing.

Anyway, as I sat pondering my perplexation, Elsie Hotpepper's little sister, Kelsie, showed up. At Panera Bread we both had the Signature Macaroni & Cheese with a Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich. It was good. But I like my own cooking better. Kelsie does not have quite the colorful vocabulary of her older sister, in case you are wondering.